The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-09-24
ENERGY REWARDED.
How Some Enterprising Men Have Made
Fortunes on rriftcs.

Colonel II. w. Pinckney. IN n news
paper published at Atlanta, Ca. relates
the following incidents. which came
under the writer's own observation,
where success trod closely on the heel
of perseverance and industry; A man
can make living, and also money, in
hundreds of different ways in this coun-
try, and it is a mighty good thing that
this is so. else over-produetion would
be the rule, not the exception. know
n man who is getting rich out of baby
swings It's n simple. cheap thing to
make, and he started in simple and
cheap way to make them. his entire
outfit of tools comprising two saws,
two saw-benches, draw shave. two
hand-planes, q brace and some bits,
rough workbench. He didn't stand
around with hands in his pockets wait
ing for somebody with capital to come
along and boost him, Not much. He
thought these swings would sell
so he made one and peddled it
round until he found purchaser.
Then he made another and sold that,
and thus he kept on until finally peo-
pie began to think his swings were
good thing to have in the family and
they began to inquire for them. Hc
started eight years ago, and alone did
all the work of making and selling
them. Things with him are very diff
ferent to-day. He has shop two
stories in height. and machinery for
saving. planning, boring, mortising,
turning and sandpapering the material
entering into the construction of these
swings. In that shop forty men find
constant employment, and, rs ! said
before, the owner is getting rich out OF
it. Counting the wives and children
of the workmen in that shop, there is
population of nearly or quite one hum
dred and fifty making living out Of
one mans idea that baby swing
would sell. A baby swing is not a
very big thing, but it in to this case big
enough to keep quite little village
busy and comfortable. A step
ladder is mighty handy thing to
have around the house. Five years
ago three men, by the closest kind of
scraping, twisting and borrowing,
managed to get together five hundred
dollars. They bought some lumber,
rugged up a circular, or buzz saw and
started in TO make step-ladders. For
two years it was struggle of the hard
est kind. There came change. A
prominent house-furnishing good. firm
one day wrote them for prices on five
thousand ladders. The size of this pos
sible order nearly took them OF their
feet. This was the turning point in
their business career Within month
from the delivery of these FIVE thousand
ladders they had contracted with the
same house for monthly supply of
two thousand five hundred. They were
on their feet now, and began to push
things. About fifteen years ago, IN ono
of the big planing-mills in Chicago, a
strip OF board catching, in some unac-
countablc manner, on buzz saw, was
hurled with violence against the leg of
one of the workmen, breaking it and
badly mangling the flesh. The injury
resulted in incapacitating the man for
performing the labor required Of him
in the mill. and he was compelled to
seek other means of livelihood. He
built, after his own ideas. scroll or
fret saw, foot power. and rugged up
seat on it, as he was unable to stand
for any length of time, and began saw
ing out and putting together articles for
household ornament and utility. After
a time he added TO his scroll saw light
boring attachment and then little
turning lathe. Then he bought cheap
set of carver's tools. Now, the point /
wish to make is this Capital in large
amounts, is not necessary in the found
ing Of industrial enterprises A good
deal of pluck and energy, and uncon-
querable perseverance are better than
money, because, having these, money
becomes the result, not the means, OF
success. Don't wait for the establish
ment of big enterprises with heavy
capital, but start little ones in a modest
way, and then let them grow, as the
majority of them surely will. Scientific
A3oerjr0J1